Destiny's Game
by Skyward Princess of Time
Summary: After experiencing a bizarre dream, Zelda Haiden and five other random strangers discover they are part of Destiny's Game, a twisted and fateful battle between twelve warring factions to determine who will wield the ultimate power. Zelink, Shidna. AU.
1. And Then There Were Six

***whistles innocently* Okay in my defense this was too good not to share. And I'm not posting this until I have the first two chapters out.  
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**Disclaimer: You know the drill! I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did… xD  
**_**Destiny's Game **_**is rated "T" for mild language, violence, and adult themes.  
*****I'm going to try to keep this "T", but that may be hard given the nature of this story.**

* * *

_**Destiny's Game  
**__A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction  
__**And Then There Were Six**_

_To this thee hear and to this thee shall listen…_

_Five millennia ago, the three almighty goddesses, the blessed sisters Din, Nayru, and Farore, descended from the heavens to create their sacred land of Hyrule. With her mighty, powerful flames, Din shaped the barren rock into the land. With her ultimate knowledge and grace, Nayru used her blessed waters to shape the landscape with its many climates. Finally, with her undying courage, Farore created all life on Hyrule, from the littlest of insects to the biggest of giants._

_With their strenuous deed complete, the goddesses left Hyrule and ascended for the heavens. In their place, they left the legendary Triforce, one link between the mortal world and the goddesses. _

_What power does the Triforce hold?_

_No one knows for sure, but one thing is certain…it is a power so behemoth that its glory should never be touched by human hands._

_So listen, well, child, to my call._

_Listen to my warning._

_The Destiny's Game is about to begin._

* * *

"Miss Haiden, is my class so uninteresting that it bored you to sleep?"

So Zelda fell asleep in history class again. Sue her. Peeking her eyes open ever-so-slightly so the harsh white light from the ancient, obviously cheap light bulb wouldn't blind her, Zelda gave a disgruntled yawn. She didn't know why Shad the Bad—err, Mr. Dempster, of course—always insisted on waking her up from her much-needed beauty sleep. She had an A+++ in his class. Yeah. That's right, triple pluses. She never understood why teachers didn't let their top students do whatever the hell they wanted in class. Oh, that's right. Something about "integrity" and "setting a good example" or some bullcrap like that. Cry her a river. Besides, everyone knew the Creation Legend. They only started learning it when they were what, five?

Zelda tossed her messy milky-brown low ponytail behind her back and gave another disinterested yawn, rubbing the sleep half-heartedly out of her emerald green eyes. She rested her head on her palm, glancing up at the chalkboard briefly. Let's see…yep, nothing she'd never heard before.

School was so boring. She was smarter, prettier, and richer than everyone else. If she really wanted to learn a subject, she'd just teach herself. Her father had one of the most expansive libraries in the country. She almost smiled as she recalled happy memories of her locked away in that room, surrounded by piles, piles, _piles _of books. How she loved books. They didn't care when she slept, what she ate, what she wore, or anything superficial like that. She loved the homey smell of dried ink, dust, and the slight mold of the older texts.

Zelda cast a quick glance up at the old clock that always ran three minutes late. Huh. Look at that, there was only two minutes left. In a way, she was almost disappointed. She could use another nap.

For some strange reason, nightmares plagued the teenager these past few nights. It was the same thing, over and over again. She didn't really _see _anything. She could sense a feeling of warning and caution. That feeling was put into words that repeated nonstop like a broken record that no one bothered to put out of its misery.

_The Destiny's Game is about to begin._

With another toss of her hair, Zelda made a mental note to lay off the coffee or whatever the hell she was drinking before bed. Seriously, you'd expect that with such a bustling and busy mind like hers, she could come up with a different dream every once and awhile. Maybe it was something she read? Maybe her dream was trying to tell her something?

Pah. As if. Zelda was smart, not a gullible buffoon like most of the Hylian population. There was no such thing as "magic" or any crap like that. No, "magic" was just a human concept created to explain the previously inexplicable. Now it was used to create—admittedly quite interesting—stories, fantasies, and made-up stuff like that. That's all it was. A plot device.

A sharp _bringggg!_ awoke her from her musings.

Saved by the bell.

Zelda made no motion to converse with the other students in her class. She hated small talk. She could care less what Mindy wore today or who was Darla's boyfriend of the minute. All of it was so superficial. She yearned to have a decent, philosophical, _meaningful _conversation. Something not about looks or boyfriends or meaningless things. She craved to have a conversation about the meaning of life. Something _substantial_. If she asked one of the girls about the meaning of life, they'd respond it was to "get boys". And her Mom asked her why she didn't have any friends. Zelda tried to tell her mother that the teenage population was far too stupid, but her mother only shook her head and wondered what she did wrong.

Biting her lip angrily, Zelda held her head up, the soft _flick _of her hair tickling her back as her ponytail swished from side to side. She relished in the boys' passionate glances and the girls' glares of jealousy.

A small _thump _brought her back to Hyrule as she smashed into an unsuspecting student. She rubbed her hair angrily, opening her mouth to curse out the lowlife who dared crash into her when…

"I'm so sorry!"

His voice was just so soothing and he was just so polite that Zelda couldn't help but…_poof_! Her anger quickly dissipated away. She stared at the boy who ran into her. He was in her class—which class was it? Math? History?—but she couldn't remember his name. Hey, she couldn't help it, she was bad with names. What was it? Wink? Sink? No, that couldn't be right…her brow scrunched up as she frowned, trying to remember the poor sap's name. While she was lost in her thoughts—something that occurred on a very regular basis—the boy stood up, trying rather fruitlessly to rub the dirt off his pants.

_The Destiny's Game is about to begin._

Chink? Gink? Clink…._oh!_

"It's LINK!" Zelda cried as she snapped her fingers. She made a motion of victory, unaware that her outburst had caught the attention of the entire student body in the hallway. She tried to pay no attention to the students' harsh whispers "oh, she's _that _girl" "she's the genius that thinks she's too cool" "…the girl with _no friends_". She learned that life was a lot easier when you didn't give two craps about what other people thought about you. Still, despite her attempts to block the parasitic whispers out, she couldn't help but feel down.

_It's all of your faults that I don't have friends. It's not my fault teenagers are so stupid._

She was sure the boy with the melodic voice that bumped into her was probably whispering something nasty to his friends right now. Just like everyone else, he saw her as a strange genius who thought of nothing but herself.

She finally turned her attention back to the boy, finding a pair of legs where his head once was. Oh. Right. She glanced up, expecting to see a raised eyebrow or an obvious look of disgust. Or perhaps he'd already run for the hills.

To her surprise, he was still standing there, with nothing but a soft, gentle, serene smile on his face. His light golden hair seemed to shine even in the dim, dank hallway. His blue eyes shone light stars among the night sky, shining brightly when everything else was _black_, blacker than the darkest night. He wasn't the tallest guy—Zelda expected he was shorter than her—and he could afford to eat a few hamburgers, but boy, was he…_handsome_.

Handsome!? Did she honestly just think he was _handsome_!? Well, he had to have left some sort of impression on her or she never would have remembered his name. Zelda cursed at herself internally, furious that she would ever think of something so juvenile. He was probably like every other person at her school…rich, entitled, spoiled kids who thought nothing of themselves and gossiped about superficial things.

He was probably just like her.

"Are you okay, Zelda?"

_Zelda. He knows my name is Zelda._

Zelda couldn't stop—despite her best efforts—the blush that naturally flushed her cheeks a gentle pink. He outstretched his hand to her, his gentle smile still radiating warmly. She saw the dirt lining the tips of his fingers, but to her surprise, she took his hand almost immediately and allowed him to help her up.

_The Destiny's Game is about to begin._

She wanted to say something, to tell him thank you, but when she opened her mouth, all she could hear was the jeers of her classmates; the condescending insults said when someone was jealous and incapable of higher thoughts. She tried to tell herself that she was above all of that and to screw them all to hell, but to her surprise, she merely ran off, not saying another word and leaving a befuddled Link in the middle of the hallway.

She ran, ran, _ran _until she came into the gym locker rooms, quickly throwing on her archery uniform without so much saying a word to the other members of the squad, brown hair knocked askew and falling out of her already messy ponytail. Her mind and heart alike buzzed with the superficial thoughts and feelings she despised so much. She cursed at herself for thinking that Link was handsome. She yelled at her every being for caring what those lowlifes she was forced to call peers thought of herself. She desperately yearned to be herself, the Zelda she loved, the genius girl with a superior intellect.

She drew her bow angrily, not even trying to clear her mind, as she fired, fired, _fired _arrows one after another into the same target, hoping to quell the fire in her heart with archery. Ever since she was a child, she was a skilled archer. Her father absolutely insisted that she join a sport—he couldn't bear to see his delicate daughter fry under the sun or some silly reason like that—and since Zelda was far too lazy to do anything that required physical activity, she chose archery. She was an excellent shot, she could shoot a squirrel bustling in the bushes from miles away if she wanted to—although even the thought of doing such a thing made her sick to her stomach—and could draw a new arrow quicker than someone could say "help!"

She ignored any of her squad's supposedly concerned statements—it was all superficial anyways, who actually liked her?—and continued to fire away mercilessly, ignoring anything that caused her to feel painful emotions and have her experience unnecessary thoughts. Seriously. She was Zelda Haiden, for cryin' out loud. She was ten times more beautiful than any of the other girls in the school. She was smarter than the smartest teacher. She was even the star of a very competitive archery team to boot. And yet, and yet, and _yet_…

_The Destiny's Game is about to begin._

There it was again. That voice. It had been pestering her all week, but it had recently become more and more frequent. A feeling of dread welled up in her already queasy tummy. But why did she hear it now? Before she only heard that voice when she was sleeping…

_The Destiny's Game has begun._

Reality around her suddenly morphed. Images flashed before her as they became distorted as if they were something out of a fantasy coloring book. The panicked cries of her teammates echoed as if they were screaming in the middle of some lost valley.

As Zelda's world turned from a harsh grey into black, she couldn't help but think maybe her teammates really were worried about her after all.

* * *

Okay, Zelda was going to punch whatever asshole dropped her on her head into the next oblivion.

"Where the hell are we?"

Zelda frowned. She didn't recognize that voice as any lowlife from her school. Using her excellent deducing skills, Zelda guessed that the speaker was in her late teens, maybe early twenties. Zelda tried not to sigh. So much for escaping teenagers. Zelda decided to screw her migraine and forced open her eyes, bracing herself for the bright light of the outside world.

To her surprise, it was dark; the only light the shade of blood as the setting sun streamed through a crack in the window. Huh. Now Zelda was royally confounded—a very rare occurrence indeed. Last time she checked, just moments ago when she collapsed at archery practice, it was barely 2:30. Since when did the sun set at 2:30? Certainly not at this latitude. Zelda frantically glanced around, observing her new surroundings. Everything was stained crimson or deep purple from the sun's fading rays, but Zelda was able to discern some sort of bed that you'd expect to see in an old romance film and a crickety old armoire with more cracks than a piece of broken glass. Were they in some second-rate hotel?

The aforementioned speaker was sprawled on the floor to Zelda's left, or at least she assumed she was the speaker, as she was the only one Zelda could see. Just like Zelda guessed from the sound of her voice, the girl appeared to be in her late teens, maybe a couple—just a couple—of years older than Zelda. It was hard to make out her coloring in the light, but Zelda deduced that the girl was definitely a natural redhead, with fiery curls that stuck up in all sorts of places around her head. She was dressed in an oversized baggy t-shirt that said _GUNS KILL_, which Zelda assumed to be some sort of band—the teen definitely didn't seem like a pacifist, that was for sure—and a pair of tattered camo pants.

Zelda wasn't sure what should she say—she didn't like fraternizing with the commoners, especially people she didn't know—but she knew she had to say _something_.

"We appear to be in some sort of hotel," she finally said, acknowledging the messy girl—quite begrudgingly—with a small nod.

"Huh," She said, blowing a bubblegum bubble and smacking her gum loudly. Zelda cringed. How she hated the sound of gum. It was so uncouth. The other girl itched at her bangs, squinting her almond brown eyes at her surroundings. "I guess you're right. This looks like the set of some low-rate porno film."

"Porn? Where!?" A new voice—obviously male, only a guy would have such a reaction—cut in suddenly as a lanky kid bumbled towards Zelda and the other girl. The boy was extremely tall, well over six feet, with waist length blond hair and brown eyes so vibrant they almost appeared to be red. He either had really bad eyesight or was thrown off by the color scheme as he banged into the bed and promptly collapsed on it. Zelda groaned, rubbing her temples. The other girl burst out into a hysterical fit of laughter, snorting after every other giggle.

"Why, if it isn't Sheik," she snarked, smacking her gum for an added effect. "What are you doing here, Loverboy? Can't get a date so you stranded two beautiful ladies in a hotel to please your every whim? Don't you have a hand to do that for yourself?"

So apparently the—perverted—newcomer was named Sheik. Hmm. Zelda wondered if he had anything to do with the Sheikah tribe, a once proud race that was skilled in all sorts of martial arts. Back when Hyrule was a monarchy, it was the job of the Sheikah to protect the royal family. However, given the kid's lack of balance and lack of self-awareness, Zelda doubted that to be true. This must be one of those cases where his parents named him "Sheik" to honor the Sheikah tribe, just like when parents named their daughters "Hylia".

"Shut up, Midna," Sheik growled, his voice muffled from the bedcovers. "First of all, I can get a date, thank you very much. I happen to be quite good with the ladies. And second of all," he pulled himself up, turning to the armoire and failing to realize that the girl—apparently named Midna—was in the opposite direction. "If I wanted to capture girls and take them on a date, I certainly wouldn't take _you_."

"I wouldn't take an armoire either," Midna grinned, smacking her gum again. Sheik gave an indignant huff, brushing the armoire aside—as if it had feelings—and quickly turning to face Midna and wagging his finger in her face.

"Now you see here…wait a minute, did you say _two_ beautiful ladies!?"

Midna pointed in Zelda's direction.

Zelda cursed the redhead internally and debated whether she should hide behind the hideously orange and obviously stained—stained with what, she didn't want to know—chair or the tattered curtains. Unfortunately, Sheik realized that he could see and noticed her. He floundered about on the floor, practically crawling to her and clasping her hands in his monstrous monkey paws. Ugh, he reeked of some sort of weed.

"Beautiful," he said in a hushed—did he seriously think he was sexy?—voice, his breath smelling like a combination between dog poop and dandelions. It was utterly repulsive. "What is your name? I'm sure it's something gorgeous like Angel, Lily, Flora…"

"It's Zelda," Zelda cut in, not wanting to know what other so-called "names" he picked out for her. While she was a bit hesitant to give this wackjob her name, she wanted the redhead to know it, too. Whatever their situation was, Zelda couldn't shake the odd feeling that they'd have to face it together. Well, after all, they too woke up in some hotel randomly. Maybe, maybe…

"Midna…your name is Midna, correct?" Zelda asked the redhead, completely ignoring whatever mumbo-jumbo Sheik was babbling about. Red nodded, spitting out her gum in one of the—fake—plant's pots. While Zelda disapproved over her rubbish methods, she was relieved that the girl finally stopped chewing that disgusting rubber. "Did you have a strange dream?"

"Huh?" Midna asked, crossing her legs over the three-legged broken coffee table and leaning on the wall for support. "Hmmm…" her brow scrunched in thought and she pursed her lips for a moment before suddenly sitting upright as if a light bulb went off over her head. "Do you mean that weird voice? Some old crone kept saying 'The Destiny's Game is about to begin' or some crap like that."

Well, would you look at that? It seemed like Zelda's hunch was right. She still couldn't shake the feeling that no matter what, the three of them would have to work together for…_whatever _was going on. That included icky Loverboy over here, still clinging onto Zelda's hands and babbling incoherently. Well, he was, until…

"Yeah, that happened to me too," Sheik said, suddenly letting go of Zelda's hands and sounding serious, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've been having dreams the past week. But it's weird. When I was dreaming, I didn't _see _anything. I just kept hearing the same thing over and over again. 'The Destiny's Game is about to begin'." While Zelda was a bit perplexed in Sheik's sudden change in behavior, she sure was grateful. She took a whiff of her hands. Gross. She wanted a shower right now.

"So it happened to you children as well," a new voice filled with wisdom said. Zelda, Midna, and Sheik quickly stopped talking and all stared at the newcomer who magically appeared on the bed in front of them. Zelda's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Who was she and where did she come from!? Well, on the bright side, Zelda could hear the intelligence overflowing in the elderly lady's voice. Maybe she could actually have that meaningful conversation she dreamed of.

A small old lady sat cross-legged on the bed, graying blond hair fell over her shoulders in a type of messy braid. If Zelda didn't know any better, she would think the braid was swinging back and forth in time, a metronome keeping the beat. While Zelda and Midna continued to look shocked—Midna even reached into the plant pot and popped her now dirty gum in her mouth as a coping mechanism—Sheik only groaned.

"Not the old crone again. I should've known you'd be behind this," He pulled himself up into the orange chair and collapsed on it, resting his head in his palm. Her once serene expression turning into a frown, the old lady leapt gracefully off the bed as if she was performing a dance move and quickly brought a large fan down on Sheik's head who promptly yelped and covered his face with a yellow polka-dotted pillow. After smacking him to her heart's delight, the elderly lady resumed her meditative position on the bed, humming some sort of folk song that Zelda recognized but didn't remember the name.

"Do you know her?" Midna asked sarcastically, blowing a now brown gum bubble.

Questions swirled in Zelda's mind, so many that she couldn't keep track of. Who was this lady? How did she appear on the bed like that? How did she know Sheik? Where did she learn to jump like that? And why, _why _were they all here!?

"Unfortunately," Sheik replied, more questions plaguing Zelda. She was about to burst. She couldn't stand not knowing so much. She always knew everything. This doubt…this misunderstanding…this _unknowing_…it was insufferable! "Believe it or not, the witch is my teacher."

The old woman took out her oversized fan again—"who are you calling a witch!?"—and smiled lightly at Midna. "Believe it or not, that child has a lot of potential, if he'd only use that brain of his for something other than girl-chasing."

Zelda could see the look of utter confusion on Midna's face. Normally, she'd scoff at such an expression, but for the first time, Zelda was completely bewildered as well. Teacher? Of what? Surely Sheik went to some sort of college—at least he looked to be college-age, mentally who knew—for education. Perhaps she was his personal tutor? But the way she moved…it was almost like she was…

"Are you his martial arts instructor?" Zelda finally asked. She wasn't positive about her deduction, but it was the best she could come up with. She had to ask one question here and there—she couldn't ask too many, that would ruin her genius reputation—or otherwise she'd go nuts. She wanted to start understanding again.

Now the elderly woman stared straight into Zelda's eyes, as if she was peering into Zelda's very soul. Zelda tried not to focus on the braid, because otherwise it would put her to sleep. After searching for something—what, Zelda had no idea—the woman smiled.

"Good guess. Martial arts is just one of the many things I teach him. You seem very knowledgeable, my dear, and you may have already figured it out yourself. Sheik is a Sheikah, a member of the tribe that vowed to forever protect our dear land of Hyrule."

So Zelda's hunch about Sheik being a Sheikah was _right_ after all. She couldn't stop her smile, the sense of confusion and idiocy happily leaving her instantly. Of course. Why did she ever doubt herself? She was a genius and her sense of observation was keen and always correct.

While Zelda was certainly pleased with this revelation, Midna looked more confused than ever. After a pregnant pause, the redhead burst out into another hysteric fits of giggles, snorting louder than ever. She laughed and laughed until tears formed in her massive brown eyes.

"Sheik? A _Sheikah_!? You've got to be kidding me! Your race surely must be hurting if he's your last hope," she snorted.

"Shut up, Midna," Sheik growled. "You didn't have to tell her, Impa. She's never gonna let me hear the end of this now."

The elderly woman—apparently named Impa, if Sheik was calling her by her actual name for once—only smiled again, although instead of wisdom this smile possessed a sense of mischievousness. "My boy, I'm afraid that is the least of your worries. We mustn't keep secrets from each other, because in this game, we are all that we have."

There it was again. The word _game_.

_The Destiny's Game has begun._

"Impa, if I may ask," Zelda said tentatively. She had to know what the game was—the suspense was eating at her and driving her nuts—but in a way, she didn't want to know. She could feel that something was off, that something was completely and utterly wrong. She was sure that the "game" wasn't something she would play at a birthday party with friends (well, if she had any, that is). It almost seemed so…so…_morbid_. "This game…the one we heard of in our dreams…what is it?"

Midna placed her gum back in the plant pot and even Sheik seemed somber as they too listened, eagerly—and worriedly—awaiting Impa's response.

"If the legends are true," Impa said after a heavy sigh, "The Destiny's Game was a battle between twelve warring kingdoms in order to determine who was worthy of the true power of Hyrule."

"That's it?" Sheik scoffed. "That's the War of Unification. We learned about that in history class. That war lead to the official unification of Hyrule for the first time in Hyrule's history. The twelve kingdoms of Hyrule had this big battle to decide who would rule Hyrule once and for all. C'mon, Grannie. That's nothing. Hasn't like, every country gone through something like that?"

As much as Zelda hated to admit it—and she _really _hated to admit it—Sheik had a point. Just like the Creation Legend, the War of Unification was a basic part of Hyrule's history. Every Hylian child learned it when they were in elementary school. Although, now that she thought about it, the War of Unification was a bit…unique, especially compared to some of the other countries' histories. Zelda remembered reading many books about it when she was a child in order to cope with the boring a dull lesson she was forced to relearn every year. According to many different sources, the War of Unification was _only _fought by the royalty of each kingdom. The common people weren't involved. No armies. No catapults. No swords. No _Boom_! Nothing.

As she thought about it more, she remembered reading about a conspiracy theory regarding the War of Unification. Now, she hated to believe a conspiracy theory more than she hated to agree with Sheik, but…maybe…

"Impa, I remember reading something…this might sound silly, but…" Zelda blushed, upset with herself for even _considering _such a silly and illogical thing. Impa only nodded, a subtle motion for Zelda to continue. "There are some theorists…" she cleared her throat, still not believing what was coming out of her mouth, "…that believe that War of Unification has to do with the Creation Legend and the Triforce. They believe that the goddesses wanted to unify Hyrule, so they created some sort of contest. Whichever kingdom won the contest would be blessed with the Triforce."

Zelda blushed, happy to finally say it and get it off her chest. The whole idea was preposterous, of course. The Creation Legend was exactly that, a _legend_. No one actually believed that three goddesses with magical powers actually created Hyrule, did they? And who believed in the Triforce? Who believed that three _triangles_ of all things could be the key to ultimate power?

"That's exactly it, my dear," Impa said almost soothingly. "That's the Destiny's Game. It is said that every three thousand years, Hyrule's royalty will compete in a fierce battle to obtain the ultimate power."

"Okay, let's say I actually believe you," Midna said, sitting up and crossing her arms and feet not unlike Impa. "There's something that still doesn't add up here. What royalty? Hyrule's royalty ended a couple hundred years ago when we became a democracy."

Zelda repressed a snort. Seriously, was Midna considering believing this utter nonsense? Yet, despite all of Zelda's feelings of logic and reason, something, _something _felt right. It was as if deep, deep, deep, deep, _deep _down she believed Impa's words too.

…and she _hated_ it.

"The contenders today would of course be the descendants of the original royalty," Impa answered as if this situation was perfectly rational and it made complete sense. "In the original Destiny's Game, there were six members on a team. There was the member of royalty, of course, and five protectors. If the royalty member died, the team lost."

She explained it if it really was a simple board game you played as children. The way she talked about death and dying was just so sickening, especially for Zelda. She could feel her stomach turn over and over again as the word _death _echoed in her mind.

"If this is still too much to handle, look at your palms, children."

Zelda didn't want to look down—who knew what horrors would befall her—and she shut her eyes real quick, shutting out any excited noise Midna made or Sheik's gasps of disbelief. No. This was complete and utter nonsense. She was not about to fight some stupid game where the loser died. She was not fighting for so-called "ultimate power". She was Zelda Haiden. She was above all of this nonsense.

And yet…

Zelda peeped her eyes open, just as she had sleepily peeked at the board in class earlier that day, at the palm of her hand. On her palm was the number six, a deep crimson red. There was no sign of a cut and even more strangely, it didn't hurt. It was as if that six was there her entire life and she was just now seeing it.

"…what's with the six?" Sheik asked, holding up his palm to Impa. In return, Impa held up her hand, also emblazoned with the fiery six. Midna, still making strange noises—an interesting combination of outrage and a sense of morbid curiosity— also produced her hand, revealing a six. Finally, after her other three strange companions stared at her, Zelda showed them her six as well.

"The six symbolizes our team," Impa said. "We are the Sixth Kingdom."

Sheik opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly cut off by an extremely loud and feminine scream, a scream so loud it could shatter the strongest glass. Midna covered her ears, Sheik laughed, and Impa seemed very worried. Zelda, on the other hand…

…she recognized that scream. She could recognize that scream in her sleep. That kind of scream would only come from the most pompous, arrogant, entitled, _stupid _person she'd ever known in her life. Oh hey, life doesn't think you're suffering enough from this game to the death so let's just throw in the person you hate most!

The large, overweight boy nearly knocked Impa off the bed with blundering speed and raised his chubby hand to show her the mark that was on his palm. Hell, even the six on his hand looked fat. No, if he had a six on his palm and this cruel twist of fate really wasn't a bad dream she could just wake up from…

"What does this mean!? I'm in a fight to the death!? I can't! I'm too young to die! I'm too special to die!"

"Please tell me he's our royalty member," Sheik grumbled. "Then we can just kill him and get it over with."

This time, Zelda was more than happy to agree with Sheik.

Please. _Anyone _but him. _Anyone_! Zelda was willing to become religious. She'd pray to the goddesses any day. She'd build a church! Heck, she'd even use her fantastic art skills to make the most beautiful goddess statues Hyrule had ever seen. Just please, please, please, please, please, please, _please _don't make her fight for her life with this buffoon.

"Calm down, my boy, please relax," Impa said gently, placing a hand on the idiot monkey's shoulder. "You're not going to die. I promise. Somewhere, deep inside of you, even if it may seem hopeless now, there is courage within. Find it. We will need your strength if we are going to protect our monarch."

"So much for that idea, Sheik," Midna said. Sheik and Midna groaned in unison, even placing their heads in their hands and the same time. If the situation wasn't so dire, Zelda may have been tempted to tell them how much they looked like each other. But now wasn't the time. No, as long as that arrogant freak of nature was stuck in this so-called game with her…

"But you don't understand, Grannie! I can't be involved as something so horrible! I…I…"

"SHUT UP, GROOSE!"

Zelda's furious scream echoed throughout the previously noisy room, leaving only silence. She placed a hand over her mouth, surprised at the vitriol intent behind it. Sure, she hated the guy's guts. He was horribly arrogant and rude and entitled and fat and…Zelda sighed. Impa, Midna, and Sheik all looked surprised at her, and Groose, well…

Instead of saying how mean Zelda was and that she should never be so cruel to someone as _wonderful _as he, Groose only grinned from ear to ear, tears falling down his face as he crashed towards her, the ground shaking with every step, blubbering the whole way. Zelda ducked behind Sheik's chair—"hey, don't put me in his warpath!"—for safety and sighed as Groose ran to her regardless, knocking Sheik out of the way and pulling her into a suffocating bearhug and blubbering all over her nice clothes. Zelda swore, if she found snot in her hair…

"I take it you know him?" Midna wandered over, making no motion to help a panicking Sheik up off the ground. Zelda only nodded, making sure she had the most miserable look on her face so one of her companions would finally help her. After a moment of flailing around trying to find something to hold on to, Sheik pulled himself up by the fallen chair and smacked Groose, hard.

"The hell do you think you're doing, knocking me over like that!?"

Thanks to Sheik's interference, Groose dropped Zelda. She gasped, hacking for breath and quickly dashed to the other side of the room, this time hiding behind Impa. The kind woman smiled, helping Zelda brush icky stuff out of her hair with a handkerchief. Stupid Groose. Even when she insulted him he still ran to her like a baby ran to his mother…

"My name is Groose DeArcy," Groose said, placing his hands on his hips. His shirt, which was three sizes too small, revealed his flabby belly. "I am the son of the DeArcy family. I will take over the prized family business and control 10% of Hyrule's money supply. I will not let some commoner…" he spat in Sheik's face for good measure, "…lay their hands on me when I am having a moment with my fiancé."

Sheik was too grossed out by Groose's bright red hair—even brighter than Miss Red over there, to Zelda's surprise—slicked with grease and his hideous lime green too-small ensemble to care what he was saying. That was, until he heard the dreaded word _fiancé_.

"Fiancé?" He asked, eyes as wide as dinner plates. "You are that beautiful angel's _fiancé_!?"

Okay. Zelda sighed. She felt the need to explain. Her parents, the Haidens, were the owners of a massive business conglomerate that owned the majority of businesses in Hyrule. How it wasn't a monopoly, Zelda would never know. If she had to guess, her father probably paid off someone and her mother probably slept with a few people in order to get the government to look the other way. Anyways, Groose's family was also pretty successful, and their parents thought it would be a wonderful idea for business if Groose and Zelda married.

"I didn't pick him, if that's what you're wondering," Zelda growled from behind Impa.

"Well naturally," Midna said sarcastically. "Unless 'shut up' is the new hip way to say 'I love you'."

"Shall we get back to the task at hand," Impa said tiredly, waving her hands as she tried to defuse the tension that was obviously building in the room. "We are a team. We must work together in order to protect our Doll."

For once, Zelda was almost glad they had this whole deadly-game-thing to take her mind off of her stupid fiancé and her cursed familial situation for a moment. That was a new term that Zelda had never heard of. She vaguely remembered—she never put a lot of stock in those conspiracy books before—reading about the term "Doll". Apparently, it was given to the member of royalty on each team.

"I'm gonna guess that little "Doll" thingie is our royal member…wait, so none of us is the Doll?" Midna asked. She shrugged, slouching back down into her previous position now that the action was seemingly over. "Well, I guess I'm a little relieved."

Impa shook her head. "We are merely the Doll's _protectors_," she said. "The five of us must work together in order to protect our Doll. After all, we can still survive if our team loses. Our Doll, however, cannot."

"I still have no idea what's going on, but first we gotta find our Doll, right? Bet she's a babe," Sheik grinned, almost drooling at the thought of some beautiful girl with pale white skin like a China doll and luscious red lips.

Impa opened her mouth to say something when she was cut off by a scream.

This scream was much more different than Groose's. It was one filled with pain and more than that, despair. Instead of being harsh and feminine, the scream had a despondent and almost gentle tone. Zelda knew who that scream belonged to.

It shattered her spirit and tore at her very being.

_No. Please. Not him. Anyone but him! PLEASE!_

"LINK!"

* * *

**A/N**

**Muahahahahahahahaaaaaa! Well, seeing as this chapter is going up at the same time as the next one…I guess that kind of defeats the purpose of a cliffhanger. :P You're welcome. :P**

**I am already a bit concerned with the rating…this is a **_**very**_** dark story. It doesn't seem too bad right now, but that's because nothing's happened yet, LOL. xD **

**Well that chapter was longer than I was expecting. :P This chapter's purpose was to introduce our main cast. This is a pretty large world with a lot of characters from all the different Zelda games making significant appearances. If you're still confused on what the game actually is, that's fine, the next chapter will explain it all. xD This one was more about the characters.**

**And then there were six: Zelda, Link, Midna, Sheik, Impa, and Groose. This will be an interesting little bunch for us. :P **

**There is a lot of writing in here so please forgive me if I missed any mistakes…but please point it out to me! I have been trying to drastically improve my writing, so any **_**constructive**_** criticism is more than welcome. Please also leave a review and let me know how you're enjoying the story! I'm kind of treating this as my second **_**Ascension**_** so it's definitely my baby. **

**I hope you're enjoying the story and I'll see you in the next chapter! Which…is already posted. So please go ahead and click if you'd like. xD **

***Interesting tidbit: The word-count (before I edited and without this little note) was exactly 6,666. Huh. Spooky. ;)**


	2. No Pressure, Right?

**And without further ado…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did… xD  
**_**Destiny's Game **_**is rated "T" for mild language, violence, and adult themes.**

* * *

_**No Pressure, Right?**_

_Please…not him…anyone but him…_

Zelda couldn't help but wish it was Groose despite herself.

She ran down the narrow spiral staircase, quickly getting an arrow ready as she ran faster than she ever knew she was capable towards the sound of Link's cry. She didn't want to believe it was him, that a boy so sweet and genuine—and so unlike her—could ever be a Doll, but there was no mistaking the pure sound of his voice. If Zelda had been thinking about anything other than Link, she would have been creeped out that the entire hotel was not only empty but appeared to be some sort haunted house, the kind you'd find in a bad Halloween festival.

"Zelda! Wait up!" That was Midna as she and presumably the rest of the merry gang were on their way. But no, Zelda wasn't about to wait. Not when he was in danger. Not when she could help him. She noticed a door at the end of the dank hall was cracked open, a dark purply light streaming into the hallway. It was instinct, but Zelda trusted it. She could feel that he was there. She burst open the door, not caring that she literally knocked the door off its hinges, bow drawn. Where was the enemy!? Who would dare…?

"Whoa! Hold on with that thing, girlie! Are you trying to lose?"

Zelda narrowed her eyes, ready to let one fly at the intimidating, massive, gruff…robotic fairy?

Huh? Zelda's passionate adrenaline rush promptly subsided as she looked at the supposedly horrifically evil threat. Sure enough, floating in midair, was some sort of robotic fairy. At least, Zelda was pretty certain it was supposed to resemble a fairy. The thing was most certainly a robot. It was about the size of Zelda's shoe, coated in a nice pastel pink. The mechanical wings even flashed rainbow colors. How quaint.

"What's the problem, Beautiful!?" Sheik cried suddenly, bursting into the room with Midna. Midna had some sort of little black book in her hands—now wasn't the time to be writing in your diary, Midna—and Sheik held a small dagger. Like Zelda, they came in with the intent to fight…only to be completely and utterly bewildered by the strange mechanical floating pink thingie.

"Okay, what's with the robot?" Midna asked, walking over to the robotic fairy and flicking it on its mechanical head. The robot gave a very high-pitched squeal, so Zelda inferred that its creators wanted it to be referred to as a girl. That or the robot was a very scarily accurate mechanical version of Groose.

"I am not a robot, I am a _moderator_," she—well, Zelda guessed the robot fairy could count as a she—insisted, her tinny voice buzzing in everyone's ears. Sheik juggled his daggers, seemingly disappointed that there wasn't a real threat, and raised an eyebrow at the robot—oh, excuse 'im, _moderator_—continued to insist various things that no one cared about. Zelda sighed. Just what every game needed. A so-called mechanical "partner" that offered lame advice that no one ever listened to.

"Shush," Impa said harshly. While Zelda was too busy staring dumbfounded at the robotic fairy, Impa had suddenly materialized out of nowhere again, kneeling besides a human figure crumpled on the ground. The shadow seemed so little in the middle of the room, curled up like that…

"Link!" Zelda gasped, the robot instantly forgotten as she knelt next to Impa by his side. The elderly woman held Link's hand in her own, stroking it gently. Unlike all of the protector's tattoos that were a deep reddish brown, his tattoo almost seemed to be glowing, a sort of golden rainbow light that lit up the dark room. Link's body was seizing uncontrollably as he occasionally let out a small cry or moan in pain. Zelda instinctively began to rub circles on his back—she was bad with this whole "comfort" thing, especially with guys—just like her mother used to, even making the occasional shushing noise. If the situation wasn't so dire, Zelda would almost be proud of herself. Here she was, comforting and socializing like a normal person, not like the recluse that she was. It was Link's aura or something. For some reason, Zelda felt so comfortable around him. He was different.

"Uh…what's with his eyes?" Sheik asked softly. Instead of their normal serene blue, Link's eyes were a harsh golden, the same golden light that was emanating from his tattoo. Impa waved her free hand at him, a silent way of telling him to 'shut up and be silent', continuing to massage circles on Link's palm. Zelda wanted his pain to end. She wanted him to stop suffering. Link…Link didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be put through this kind of hell!

"If I may," the robot fairy—apparently miffed that everyone stopped paying attention to her—said snootily, as if she had no interest of helping at all. So much for being their "moderator". "The boy is currently undergoing the revelation process."

"So stop it," Midna growled, grabbing the robot and shaking it up and down, left and right, and all over the place. The robotic fairy squealed and begged the redhead to stop, but much to Zelda's approval, she didn't even cease for one second. "I'm not gonna stop shaking you until you stop whatever the hell you did to him."

"I…I didn't do it!" The fairy managed to croak out, its mechanical voice shaking due to Midna's movements. Huh. Zelda almost gave the little midget some credit. She even managed to say a couple of broken words despite Midna's thrashing. Maybe she would be useful after all. "It's a process every Doll undergoes at the beginning of the game."

_Doll_.

Zelda's heart sank. Sure, she knew Link was the Doll, that wasn't very hard to discern especially since she, Midna, Sheik, Impa, and Groose weren't all glowy, but it was still hard to hear the auditory confirmation. It still stung as if a million bees released their stingers into her flesh simultaneously. No. She echoed her previous plea. _Anyone but him_.

No response. _So much for mercy, you non-existent goddesses._

"So he's our Doll, huh?" Midna said quietly, releasing the stupid robot and taking a seat beside Zelda and Impa. The robot made hacking noises as if she actually had to breathe or something. Sheik held a dagger at the robot's throat, making sure it wouldn't try anything funny while Link endured the revelation process or whatever the hell it was called.

After a few tense moments lingered on for what seemed like hours, Link's body stopped shaking and his eyes finally reverted back to their normal peaceful blue. He gasped for breath, giving jagged coughs as his body struggled to breathe. Midna and Zelda pulled him into a sitting position, Zelda continuing to rub circles on his back, hoping that she was providing him with a least a hope of relief. After allowing him to cough for a few minutes and catch his breath, Zelda finally asked the standard—although sometimes completely self-explanatory—question.

"Are you okay, Link?" She asked softly, hoping that she didn't sound like her normal intellectual—and admittedly sometimes a bit conceited—self. She didn't really think she could comfort him with her knowledge, especially since this game—and magic, for that matter—was not exactly her area of expertise.

"I think so." Link's voice was barely a whisper, his body still shaking from the occasional spasm caused by the strain. He gave another hacking cough, resting his head on his knees as he pulled himself into a sort of fetal position. Zelda wanted to tell him _something_, that it was going to be okay and nothing bad was going to happen to him, _something, _but again, just like earlier that day when they bumped into each other, nothing came out.

"His hand," Midna breathed, staring at Link's amazingly still-glowing tattoo in Impa's hand. "His tattoo looks different than ours."

"That is because he is the Doll," The robot fairy—ugh, who invited her?—said again in that nauseatingly self-absorbed voice. She really did sound like a mechanical Groose. "The Dolls of each Kingdom have their number spelled out on their hands." She almost seemed like she was going to say more, that is, until she realized just how close the point of Sheik's dagger was to her face.

Zelda prepared herself for the carnage, bit her lip, and quickly stole a glance at Link's left palm. The little "s-i-x" confirmed once again that he was a Doll, the wound seemingly fresh and still glistening with blood.

"Could you tell us what you saw, Link?" Impa asked gently. Zelda wanted to tell her not now, to let Link rest, but she yet again frustratingly found herself at a loss for words. She really needed to get better at the socialization process. Perhaps she could read up on it tonight when she got home.

…if she could ever go home again, for that matter.

"I saw," Link started, coughing miserably again—Zelda was afraid that he'd hack up a lung if he kept this up—before managing to calm his breathing. He straightened, pulling himself out of his fetal position although Zelda knew that he was trying to act tough. She knew the "tough-person" façade all too well because…because…she pulled it all the time herself. She quickly positioned herself behind him so he naturally leaned against her right side. Huh. Zelda was physically in contact with someone, and she didn't immediately pull away. No, in a way, she almost enjoyed letting Link lean on her. It was…comforting, to say the least. Link gave her an apologetic glance. She could hear the voiceless _thank you_ he was trying to convey. She nodded, hoping her _you're welcome _would reach him. Now that he was a little steadier, Link coughed one more time before continuing.

"I saw death," He said quietly. "So many people were covered in blood. There were women and children too…so many innocent children, bleeding and crying…" he attempted to hide his shudder behind a cough, but Zelda knew better. "There was a voice…just like the voice that spoke to us in our dreams. It said that I couldn't let the evil prevail. That no matter what, I had to fight, or what I saw in my dream would become the future for humanity." He trailed off coughing—seriously, when would he stop coughing? It was downright horrible to listen to—and rested on Zelda's shoulder, blue eyes closing as he attempted to block out the pain of his memory.

"That's enough, thank you, Link." Impa placed his shining left palm on his leg. Zelda couldn't believe that Link was resting his head on her shoulder—_Zelda's_ shoulder of all things! His breathing was still fitful and he was still shivering. Zelda had to do something. She had to comfort him. _Think, Zelda, Think. You have to help him. _She ever-so-tentatively placed a hand on his blond head, gently playing with his honey locks. She once overheard the lowlifes saying something that guys loved to have their hair stroked. After she was done playing with his hair, she slowly, slowly, _slowly_ began to move her arm around his body so she almost cradled him, as if, as if…as if she was hugging him.

Yes. Zelda, the ice cold genius princess of the Hyrule Royal Academy, was hugging a boy. For the first time in her life.

One day ago, she would have cringed at the very thought. She would have instantly bathed and insisted to herself that she never, ever have such an idea again. Yet, for some reason, she felt completely at peace with him right by her side.

Huh. Amazing what a death game could do for a person in terms of rapid character development.

"Okay," Midna finally said. "Let me get this straight. Doll-boy over here said that if he doesn't win, evil will prevail? Da fuq does that mean?"

"His name is Link," Zelda found herself instinctively correcting. Midna only gave a disinterested wave of her hand.

"Yeah, it's probably a good idea that someone with a pure heart like him wins," The robot fairy almost said uninterestedly. If Zelda didn't know any better, she would think the fairy was just like her lowlife peers, staring and playing with their nails as if they didn't have anything better to do. Zelda could almost see the _schwing_ glistening off of Sheik's dagger as he once again brandished it under the robot's neck.

"…and you're going to tell us why, right?"

The robot fairy sighed—that is, if a robot fairy _could _sigh—and waved a white flag. "You know I'm here to help you, right?"

"Could've fooled us," Zelda, Midna, Sheik, and Impa all said in unison. Whoa. Talk about scary telepathy. Nothin' like a good ol' obnoxious robotic fairy to get the team spirit pumping. Seriously, though, if this was like one of those games where you got to choose your special otherworldly partner, Zelda wanted to select another one. Preferably one a bit…cuter. And one that didn't resemble Groose so much.

Speaking of Groose, where was he?

Eh. No matter. Zelda preferred the peace and quiet.

"My name is Navi," the robot said, as if anyone cared. "As I stated previously, I am your _moderator_ for the duration of the Destiny's Game. It's my job to ensure that you are fully aware of the rules. I am also complete with a recording function."

"Oh great, we can get instant replay on our last kill," Sheik said sarcastically. "As I was saying, you're gonna tell us why our Doll should win, right?" This time he held onto her rainbow mechanical wings and held a dagger under her neck.

"You should always want your Doll to win," Navi said flabbergasted, as if she didn't understand why Sheik would ever suggest a thing. "That's the nature of the game."

"Yeah, well we don't wanna play," Midna replied with a scoff of her own, crossing her arms over her chest. "A death game seems horribly cliché these days."

They had an odd way of saying it, but Zelda couldn't agree more. Whatever this so-called "death game" was, she wanted no part of it. She instinctively pulled Link closer. She could run. Yes, that's what she could do. She could hide Link somewhere where they would never find him until the game ran its course. She didn't want power. Midna didn't want power. Sheik didn't want power. None of them cared. It wasn't worth it…nothing of material or selfish value was worth a human life.

"Oh? So you're okay with another player just slaughtering your Doll? That's fine then…" Navi said with a shrug of her shoulders, about to fly away before Sheik grasped her tiny neck and forced her against the wall, this time three daggers at her neck.

"No one is slaughtering anybody," he growled, filled with more anger and animosity than Zelda had ever witnessed…it was almost frightening. Before, Sheik was so casual and carefree. Now he seemed so…violent. So filled with rage, a soldier ready to strike whenever he was needed. So this is what the Sheikah were like.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's impossible," Navi stated nauseatingly matter-of-factly. "The Destiny's Game will not end until eleven of the twelve Dolls die. Even if your team decides not to play, I highly doubt all twelve teams will pass on the opportunity for ultimate power. Your pacifism will lead to your Doll's demise."

The room was silent.

In a way, Zelda was proud of her companions. Now, she was no expert on human behavior—although she liked to think she was, she just wasn't good with the practical application—but she knew how dangerous and tempting power could be for a human. Not one of her three teammates even considered playing the game for power. Maybe, just maybe, although they were a tiny bit odd, deep down they were good people. Zelda could only hope so, because as much as she didn't want to admit it, she'd need their help. She'd need their help to protect Link.

"We have to play," Impa finally said softly. "I fear the boy's dream was no mere nightmare…it was a vision. While I do not care for power, I have no doubt that if that power were to fall into the wrong hands; it would lead the world into ruin. At the very least, if we ensure Link wins, we can guarantee that the world will have a pure heart at its helm."

"Impa," Sheik muttered. "This…this is a fight to the death. A violent struggle. Can we really justify…?" He couldn't even finish, unable to verbalize the horrible thoughts.

The room once again fell silent.

"It's coming," Link suddenly whispered. Zelda glanced down at him, shocked to see his bright blue eyes shining that golden rainbow color again. She opened her mouth to ask who or what was coming when she heard an earsplitting _bang bang bang_ as the hotel rocked as if it was shook by an earthquake.

"Shit," Midna said. "Looked like Fairy Girl was right. I don't think we really have a choice but to play." She stood, once again taking out her little black book and holding out her hand, as if ready to strike. Zelda gently laid Link on the ground—he was still far too weak from his earlier ordeal to fight—and drew her bow.

"Who is coming, Link?" Impa asked slowly, as if she was talking to Sheik or a small child.

"A Doll," Link murmured in a trance-like-state, his voice seemingly robotic and hardly recognizable. "A Doll has come for me in order to steal the power I wield."

If there wasn't a threat of people barging in with swords and who-knows-what, Zelda would have asked Link what the heck he was talking about. What power? Link was an ordinary human, wasn't he? Or…or did he change once he became a Doll?

"An enemy Kingdom is approaching," Navi reported, as if it wasn't already painstakingly obvious already. After grumbling that useless tidbit, she seemed to materialize somewhere, probably where she could watch the fight safely. Ugh. Zelda made a mental note to punch that robot into the next oblivion when she saw her next.

"Here they come," Midna called between grit teeth. Zelda nodded once, trying to ignore her legs that were shaking like jellyfish. She was a pacifist, dammit. She liked to solve her battles through persuasion, diplomacy, and sex appeal. Sure, she was a great archer, but she only did that for sport. She never actually thought one of her arrows would pierce someone's skin…and the idea not only repulsed her it _terrified_ her. Thankfully, due to her vast knowledge, Zelda knew the human body pretty well. She would only hit non-vital parts. Yes. That was it. That didn't make the act of violence any easier, but for right now it would have to do. She had to use her arrows to fight them. They were coming to kill Link, and if they were already playing, it was likely these participants had no qualms about injuring or worse, killing.

Zelda barely had time to breathe when a massive curved sword suddenly burst through the wall, followed by a very beautiful—yet quite frightening—woman who leapt through the wall, her five companions not far behind. All six of them were women—not that women couldn't be fighters too, it was just admittedly a bit odd—and all of the protectors were completely cloaked in black or shades of red. The only things Zelda could see in the sea of fabric were their piercing yellow eyes, as fearsome as a black cat's yellow stare. The first woman, who Zelda assumed to be the Doll after seeing the "e-i-g-h-t" tattooed on her left palm, was the only one not cloaked, instead in a very revealing white outfit. She was covered in gaudy jewelry—presumably stolen—and her fiery hair was up in a high ponytail. Zelda noticed Midna kick Sheik in the shin after the Sheikah gave a low whistle. For a moment, neither side moved nor let down their guard. Zelda could feel herself perspiring. Perhaps they were here to talk things out? No, that couldn't be it. Then why…why were they hesitating? What did they have in mind?

"Wait! Please! Don't fight!"

_No, Link! You're not well!_

Due to their focus on the enemy, none of Zelda's companions noticed Link get up from his position on the ground. He stepped right in between the two sides—_seriously Link what are you doing you big idiot!?—_and held up his left palm, revealing him as the Doll. The other Doll smirked, that must have been what she was waiting for, and she lowered her blade precariously close to Link's neck.

_Fire, Zelda! Fire! If you don't fire your arrow, that bitch'll kill Link!_

"If I let you kill me, will you leave my companions alone?"

Whatever Zelda expected was going on in that thick skull of his, that certainly wasn't it. So this was Link's big plan!? He'd give himself up to the enemy, let them kill him, and suddenly this game would magically all go away!? What the hell was he thinking!? Sure, that was a solution and yeah, it would save the protectors from fighting, but why did Link have to sacrifice himself? That wasn't right!

_That's not right!_

"Sure," the woman said with a nonchalant shrug as if they were talking about the weather. "I'm only here for your attribute power anyways. Believe it or not, we Gerudo don't like to kill if we don't have to. As a matter of fact, that would be a perfect solution for us. We get what we want and we have less blood on our hands."

_You'd like that, wouldn't you?_

She raised her sword, a sick grin filled with delight on her smug face. She was going to kill him. She was going to kill him. She was going to _kill_ him and she was going to enjoy it, damn it. No. Zelda couldn't let her kill him. She just couldn't…but…her legs still shook. She was a pacifist. She may not like most people, but that certainly didn't mean she wanted to hurt them. Human life was precious. Everything could be solved with diplomacy. But if she hesitated now…even for a second…it could mean losing him, the one person that ever showed her an ounce of kindness in that hellhole they called school, forever. And that was something she just could not tolerate.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU BITCH!"

With a scream so loud it could shatter eardrums, Zelda let an arrow fly. With sniper-precision accuracy, Zelda's arrow burrowed neatly into the opposing Doll's right shoulder. The woman shrieked with pain, and in that moment, the world began to move about, fast as a blur, as all sides leapt into action.

Zelda hadn't noticed it before, but Sheik had already gotten in the way of the Eighth Doll's sword. A small smile escaped her, despite the treacherous situation. Sheik and Midna had already made their decision. They, like Zelda, were not about to let Link die. No way in hell. Zelda quickly glanced down, and to her shock, Impa seemed to be building some sort of smoke bomb. Zelda's small smile morphed into a grin.

Good. Looked like it was unanimous. No Link dying allowed.

"Like hell we'll let you kill him," Sheik growled, throwing his daggers with scary accuracy. Next to him, Midna said a word in a language Zelda didn't understand, and some sort of black energy escaped from her palm, trapping one of the Eighth's protectors. Huh. Zelda made a mental note to ask how Midna pulled of that nifty trick later. Zelda continued to let arrows fly, making sure she aimed for the enemy's non-vital points. To her relief, Sheik and Midna appeared to be doing the same. Great. It may essentially be six-on-three, but they were doing well. Until…

Midna let out a shriek, trying to move but as hard as she tried, she couldn't budge an inch. It was as if there were invisible chains trapping her in that exact position. Sheik pushed Link down on the ground and used his body as a shield, trying to deflect all shots her way, but within seconds, he was trapped too. Wait, what? But how? What weapons were they using? Zelda certainly couldn't see…

She let out a cry of her own as she tried to let an arrow fly and instead found herself trapped, unable to move, as if the entire force of gravity was pushing against every inch of her body. She continued to scream, pushing and pulling desperately to get out of the lock. She could tell Impa was trapped too. How could she protect Link or any of her companions if she couldn't move? She _had _to move. _Move, Zelda! Move! Move!_

The Eighth Doll grinned. With her right arm, she awkwardly maneuvered her limb so she was able to pull out the arrow. After an almost satisfactory grimace, she spat a huge wad of blood in Zelda's general direction. Her companions stopped fighting as a sign of respect, waiting for her to do whatever she was going to do. Zelda couldn't shake the feeling that it was this female warrior who was causing their paralysis.

"You know, while I always appreciate a good female warrior, that was uncalled for, Little Lady. Your boyfriend over there was going to let me kill him and that would have been over real quick. I even would have spared you all. But now…no…now I'm going to kill you, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. No one, and I mean _no one_ injures the great Nabooru. No one."

"Ahem," a nauseatingly familiar tinny voice chimed in. "Unless you want your compatriots to be killed, I'd recommend activating your attribute, Sixth Doll."

Zelda wished she had the strength to yell at the robo-fairy to stop being so damn ambiguous.

"Uh…Link…" Sheik said, his voice distorted by the paralysis, "Now would be a great time to activate your little attribute-thingie…"

"Aw, poor baby doesn't know what his attribute is," Nabooru cooed the way a kidnapper would talk to a child. Licking the blood—her_ own _blood of all things—off of Zelda's arrowhead, she proudly waltzed towards Zelda as if she won some sort of dance competition. Zelda couldn't help but notice that her left hand was always out and balled into a fist. Was that due to her attribute or whatever the heck it was? Come to think of it, she was a bit preoccupied at the time, but she recalled Nabooru saying that she was going to steal Link's attribute. Maybe attributes were something that the Dolls had? If Nabooru had one and that was what she was using to trap Zelda and the others, than it was entirely plausible that Link's attribute could…

…Zelda didn't have time to theorize as she was about two seconds from being decapitated. So this was how Zelda, genius of Hyrule, was going to die. At the hands of some thieving wackjob during the beginning—the very _beginning_ of all things, she at least wanted to live a day or so—of a messed up game. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the object of her demise…

"Zelda!"

Just before Nabooru's curved-sword-of-death struck Zelda's face, a new blade, one that seemingly glowed in the moonlight, intercepted. The force of the blade's impact caused Nabooru to lose her grip on Zelda and the others as she was required to use both hands.

Standing before her, her Prince in shining armor—how Zelda _despised _that allusion—held his glowing blade, blue eyes lit ablaze with golden fire as he and Nabooru began the duel of the century. Neither set of protectors moved, eagerly anticipating the outcome of the duel between the Dolls. Zelda had no idea where Link got a sword—or if he could even _wield _a sword for that matter—but due to his vibrant golden eyes, she assumed this must be his attribute-whatsit the robo-fairy was talking about.

"I said that you could kill me," he spoke in a low, authoritative voice brimming with confidence. "I never said that you could go after my friends."

"Yeah, apparently they didn't get that memo," Nabooru grimaced, her grimace now filled with pain and fear instead of that awful satisfaction. Zelda drew her bow, making sure that the other side knew that the Sixth Kingdom team wasn't about to give up. Yeah, they didn't want to play, but damn it, if they were going to play, they might as well play it well.

Anything to help protect Link.

"I have no desire to kill you," Link continued, his shining eyes glaring straight into Nabooru's soul. Zelda would never have been able to guess that he had suffered an intense mental attack just minutes ago. He seemed so strong, so confident, so…so…_courageous_. "However, if you insist on fighting, I will make no guarantees for your safety. I would highly recommend that if you value you or your companions' lives, you will withdrawal immediately."

Nabooru grit her teeth. He was winning and she knew it. Now that he interrupted her little gimmick, the tide of battle had quickly turned. Besides Link, Impa grinned, holding the homemade bomb—made of what, Zelda had no idea—up in the air for all to see.

All of the Gerudo cursed and the instantly pulled back. Nabooru might have said something to Link, but Zelda couldn't tell. She was probably too embarrassed that she had her ass royally whooped. It was morbid and the situation was not going to get any better whatsoever, but in that moment, Zelda was happy. She was happy that she was able to help and protect Link.

"Thank the goddesses, they're gone," Sheik breathed, collapsing to the ground. "I don't even want to know how you made that bomb, Grandma."

"Oh, this?" Impa asked innocently. "Why Sheik, you should know better than anyone that this is merely an elaborate fake."

Zelda didn't quite catch Sheik's response, but she was certain it was laden with profanity.

"They're gone," Link breathed, his eyes returning to their serene blue and his sword dissipating into nothing. He stared down at his hands, as if he himself was confused how he was able to accomplish such a feat.

"Congratulations, Sixth Kingdom. That was excellent victory," Navi chimed in, actually sounding happy for once. "It would have been better if you had absorbed the Doll's attribute, but I suppose one step at a time."

"Yeah, about that, Ms. Giggles," Midna said, holding the robot fairy close to her face, hand ablaze with the same black fire it was before. "You're gonna tell us what the hell an attribute is and what this whole 'absorbing' bit is about."

"No need for violence, I was getting there already," Navi huffed, squirming out of Midna's grasp and floating near Link, where she assumed would she be much safer. "An 'attribute' is the official term for a Doll's power. Every Doll has one, you see. As you witnessed, the Eighth Doll's special ability allowed her to trap you by controlling your shadows. She was clearly an amateur, if I may say so myself. A skilled Greed user would be able to force your body to do whatever they please."

"Yeah, because you're a real pro," Sheik grumbled, still sprawled on the ground. "You still haven't told us the important part, y'know, the whole 'absorbing' bit."

"As I was saying, I was getting there," Navi pouted. Yes. The robotic fairy _pouted_. Zelda really needed to stop drinking whatever the hell she was drinking before bed. Her dreams were starting to get really ridiculous. "Each Doll has a special attribute that comes with its own powers and abilities. In order to proceed in the game, every Doll except one must be killed. When a Doll kills another Doll, they absorb that attribute and are then able to use that attribute themselves."

"So what you're saying is…" Impa started. Even infinite wisdom hadn't prepared her for this.

"If the Sixth Doll actually cared about winning, he would have slain the Eighth Doll and absorbed her Greed power. He would then possess both Courage and Greed. So, naturally, if one Doll slaughters all of the other Dolls and absorbs their attributes, they would be a very dangerous human being, not just to the players, but for all of humanity, as well. Hence the earlier bit about it's probably a good idea if the Sixth won."

Zelda was flabbergasted. She had to expect that most Dolls would be like Nabooru and not like Link. If one Doll absorbed all of the other Dolls' attributes…he or she would be the most powerful human being in the entire world, one so powerful that a nuke probably couldn't stop. If that person was evil…

…humanity was doomed.

"Alright, change of plans," Midna said somberly. "We can't let Link die _and _we can't let some crazy Doll kill all of the other Dolls and absorb their attributes."

"So no pressure, right?" Sheik asked.

"No pressure," Zelda repeated quietly.

"You know, that reminds me," Impa said suddenly, as if dying to break the grave mood.

"Where did Groose go?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Wheeee! Wow, my brain hurts from all of that. xD **

**As you might have noticed, yes, we have a bit of a role-reversal. ;) In this story, Zelda takes the role that would be traditionally be Link's and Link takes the role that would traditionally belong to Zelda. Why, you ask? Well…because. xD One, I wanted to play around with the idea, and two, having their roles swapped actually really works for this story. **

**As I stated in the previous chapter, I wrote a lot today (nonstop since about 1:30PM and now it's 11:50PM xD) so it's likely I'll miss some minor grammar mistakes and typos. As I'm experimenting, **_**constructive**_** criticism is more than welcome. Please leave a review! I'd love to hear what you think of the story. If something isn't clear that you feel should be (not all details have been revealed yet, but you should understand the basic premise of the game) please let me know that as well so I can fix it. **

**I hope you're enjoying the story and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	3. Never Do That Again!

**I want to give a huge thank you to those of you who reviewed! :D  
****I have to say…I really love writing this story. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did… xD  
**_**Destiny's Game **_**is rated "T" for mild language, violence, and adult themes.**

* * *

_**Never Do That Again!**_

"Yeowch!"

"Oh, shut up, you big baby. You're fine."

Zelda couldn't help but give a small smile as she listened to Midna and Sheik bicker. Apparently, during the encounter with the Eighth Kingdom, Midna had stepped on Sheik's toe so hard that it cracked his toenail in half. Ever since the battle ended and there was no immediate threat of danger, he didn't stop giving her grief about "dismembering" his "precious" toe. It was definitely clear that Midna and Sheik knew each other, but from where? They couldn't be _that _close, because Midna didn't know about Sheik's identity as a Sheikah. Well, given their relatively close ages, Zelda deduced they were probably classmates. As she thought, putting her sharp mind to good use, she realized just how little she actually _knew _her companions. She knew their names and that was about it. Zelda chewed her lip nervously. She wanted to know more about the others, but she didn't know what questions to ask. She was bad at this "social etiquette" thing, dammit. Asking their present addresses would probably be considered improper and, in the words of the "hip" teenagers, "_stalkerish_". Perhaps she could ask them the general area they lived. Yes, surely, that would work…but how should she word it? _Yo, dude, where you from, homie_? Ugh. No. Too uncouth. There simply must be a more refined way to ask the question, preferably with proper grammar…

"That reminds me, Beautiful. Where are you from?" Zelda frowned. Before she had the chance to make the initiative, Sheik effortlessly asked her the same question she was so desperately trying to convey. It didn't even seem difficult to him. Then again, for a socially-adept creature—she couldn't say he was skilled, given his flirtatious nature—this sort of "small talk" was probably second-nature to him by now.

"Don't answer that, Zelda. You'll never understand the meaning of the word 'privacy' again." Midna smirked, leaning against the broken windowsill—how that didn't hurt, Zelda had no clue—and blowing yet another gum bubble. Zelda found her frown grow even bigger. How did that girl get her hands on more of that disgusting rubber stuff? She made a mental note to find Midna's resources and dispose of them all immediately.

"Speaking of privacy," Impa spoke up from her spot on top of Link's shoulders—Zelda couldn't help but feel a bit jealous despite herself, just a _teensy _bit—as she attempted to replace the light bulb in the broken light fixture. After a few twists and turns and still no light, Impa gave a groan of frustration and just whacked the light bulb with her homemade (fake) bomb. With the impact, a mellow yellow light filled the room, illuminating the pink and green floral couch that had been parted in half, likely from Nabooru's curved sword. Impa gracefully leapt off of Link's shoulders and landed on a section of the couch that wasn't completely destroyed. She stuffed some of the cheap wispy filling back into the crevasses of the couch and resumed her cross-legged position from earlier. "You should probably alert your families that you will not be coming home any time soon."

Zelda's heart sank, even though she was fully anticipating that Impa would say something like that. As much as she hated to admit it, there was no way she could go home. What if a Kingdom attacked her home? Her family? Her precious book collection? Not to mention, as much as she hated to admit it even more, they should probably stick together. Who knew when a Kingdom would attack? It would be far too dangerous to leave Link alone, even for a moment.

"Oh, it's no prob," Midna said, gum bursting with an obnoxious _pop _and leaving her with a messy pink mustache. "I'm in college, for cryin' out loud. The 'rents don't give a crap. They figure no news is good news. Besides, what am I gonna tell them? 'Oh, sorry Daddy dearest, I'm in the middle of a fight to the death, can't come home now. See ya later!' No, it would be better if they were left blissfully aware. It would def help Mom's drinking habits."

While Zelda found Midna's parents' lax parenting methods a bit…_discouraging_, the girl did have a point. She nibbled at her nails—a nasty habit that she had desperately been trying to break for years with no avail—and became deep in thought. What would she tell her parents? She had to let her parents know _something _as they were probably already having panic attacks. Zelda never came home this late. Perhaps her father had already filed a missing persons report. Surely her father would never approve of any reason that would cause her to miss school for so long. Maybe she could fake an illness? She knew the ins and outs of doctor's reports and she was an expert forger, if she may say so herself. But no, her father was too thorough. He'd certainly call her doctor to confirm. Perhaps she could say she went on an unexpected archery trip? No, he'd see through that one too. He'd call the supposed competition location to make sure their equipment was failsafe. What could she say?

"You have to call your mother, Sheik. You know how much she worries," Impa chided.

"You should probably be the one to call, Grannie," Sheik replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "She'll be fine if she knows I'm with you." Impa opened her mouth to give a not-so-pleasant response to the "Grannie" comment but ultimately decided to let it go with a sigh. After figuring Sheik was taken care of, she turned to Link, who had been eerily quiet since the battle with the Eighth Kingdom.

"And what about you, dear?" She asked softly, in a much different tone than the one she used with Sheik. Instead of harsh and lecturing, her voice was gentle and kind, the type of soft melody that a mother would use with her beloved baby. For a moment, Link didn't answer, his blue eyes despondent and almost lifeless. Zelda looked downcast. She felt for him, she really did, as ultimately he was the one most affected by this so-called "game". Emotions must've been swirling throughout his entire being.

"It's probably better if no one knows that I'm gone," Link said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. Everyone in the room fell silent, choosing that moment wisely to reflect for a moment. Midna even stopped chew her gum for a time, allowing Zelda to relish in the precious seconds of silence without having to endure a mind-numbing _pop _and _smack_ every two seconds. They all felt for Link. Impa placed her hand on his shoulder soothingly, giving him a small nod and allowing him to concentrate on his own thoughts and emotions for a little while.

Well, that was pretty much everyone. That left Zelda and Groose, although Groose hardly counted. The coward wasn't even present at their first battle. What could Zelda say to her parents? Unlike Midna and Link, Zelda _had _to say something. Her father was far too protective, and more importantly, far too rich to deal with a random disappearance. Was there any reason in the world that Zelda could use to effectively convince her father? _Any _at all?

It suddenly dawned on Zelda. She was a master of knowledge. Her brain was her biggest asset and she was going to use it, darn it. She was clever enough to come up with a reason—one so _foul _her father wouldn't dare question it—and use this putrid situation to her advantage. She grinned from ear to ear, almost chuckling aloud at her brilliance. Yes. That was what she would do. She walked over to the old wired phone in the corner on top of the wobbly corner table; trying to make sure she walked properly and didn't skip with glee. Whoa, the old phone was ancient. Her grandmother probably used a fossil like this. Thankfully, the lull of the dial tone assured Zelda that it was still at least functional, and she dialed her father's number. She wasn't concerned about long-distance fees or collect calls, because her father would gratefully pay millions in order to hear his oh-so-precious baby girl's voice.

"Hello, Daddy?" Zelda called, using her oh-so-perfect nauseatingly-sweet childish voice. Her father's joyful sobs practically deafened her, as she quickly made shushing noises in order to quiet his wailing. Her father was very sensitive and prone to emotional outbursts quite frequently. She'd have to apologize to him profusely for the trouble she caused him later. After he begged and pleaded to know where his sweet little girl was—yes, he had called the police and yes, there was a search team looking for her—Zelda smiled. She was ready with her reason. She cleared her throat delicately. In order for this whole scheme to work, she had to be 1000% convincing. What she was about to say would normally cause her to vomit, but these were trying circumstances.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry to tell you, but…but…" Zelda let out a soft sob, sniffling loudly for an added effect. She tried not to grin—she had to be in character, even if her father couldn't see her—at the sounds of her father's desperate cries for her to tell Daddy whatever was wrong. After another stifled (fake) sob, Zelda continued. "I've been such a bad girl!" She wailed, sniffling incessantly into her sleeve. Her father insisted that his perfect little baby could never be bad, and she continued after allowing him to freak out for a moment.

"Daddy, I…I…" She gave one more sniffle for good measure. _I've almost got him! _"…I couldn't take it any longer. I had to do it! I just had to!" Her father echoed her sobs on his end '_what, my dear? What did you have to do? Tell Daddy!' _

"I HAD TO ELOPE!" Zelda screamed into the phone, her voice resonating throughout the broken hotel, causing the unstable building to _creak _and _shake _as if a hurricane was tearing it apart from the foundation out. "I CAN'T STAND IT, DADDY! I LOVE HIM! I LOVE GROOSE!"

It took all of Zelda's mental power to block out the shocked responses of her companions. Midna's gum fell clean out of her mouth and stuck to the "K" on her shirt, Sheik grasped his heart as if Cupid's Arrow had cleanly missed, Impa's eyes widened wider than she'd ever seen, and Link…and Link…almost looked…_jealous_.

Well, at least Zelda _hoped_ he did.

As if on cue, the entire building shook, this time not from Hurricane Zelda, but from an overweight, pompous buffoon that could cause the Stone Windmill monument to collapse. The whale of a boy bumbled in, barely squeezing through the already broken doorway, eyes nearly swollen shut from crying and a huge wad of snot dripping from his nostril to the rickety floor. Poor _baby _must've been scared from the big bad ladies earlier. The sight of him was so repulsive that Zelda choked back bile, but she kept up the act, just like the professional she was. She let out a sob of her own, putting on her best and most enchanted smile.

"My love," she said so quietly so only Daddy could hear. She already had to scream that she loved him once. She sure as hell wasn't going to do it again. Not loudly, at least. She'd wash her mouth out with soap when this was all over.

"I knew you would come to me, my love!" Groose sang, practically slobbering all over her, pausing for a moment when he was close enough to recognize the voice on the phone, "Are you on the phone, Mr. Haiden? Leave it to me! I will take care of her!"

Yes. _Perfect_. Just what she wanted him to say. Everything was going exactly according to Zelda's calculations.

Damn, she was _good_.

Zelda relished in the sounds of her father's tearful approval, saying that he would punish her later for making her worry but he was oh-so-happy that she finally saw the light. Daddy insisted he call her from time to time, but he assured her that he'd notify the school of her absence and that they had a week to do whatever they felt was necessary to _further_ their relationship. Zelda hung up with a victorious _click_! Sure, he'd only given her a week, but at least it was something to work off of. She'd improvise the rest later. She had to pat herself on the back for a job well done.

She hated to lie to her parents—really, she did—but this was for the better. This way, they wouldn't worry about her, but at the same time, they wouldn't have half of Hyrule on the lookout for her whereabouts. No, for now, Zelda had to remain in the shadows, just like the ninjas in her favorite childhood stories. The whole thing was still utterly crazy and she was still half convinced she was dreaming, but for right now…those stories were coming real, and she was the protagonist.

Now that she didn't need to keep up the act, she shoved Groose off of her, making no motion to help him off the floor as she walked to the other side of the room, sitting in what was left of a wooden rocking chair.

"Da fuq…was that?" Midna finally asked, pulling the gum off her shirt and popping in back into her mouth. Sheik still seemed unable to move, similar to when Nabooru had him trapped in her attribute's spell. Even Impa still seemed a little shaken up, as if she too, despite her infinite knowledge, was unable to comprehend what the hell just happened.

"I had to come up with a convincing reason to tell my parents," Zelda said with a small shrug, as if what she just did was no big deal. "This was the only thing my Dad would be satisfied with."

Sheik suddenly snapped up, a childish grin crossing his face as if Zelda just said the magic words that unlocked the spell. "That's it?" he asked. "You were just pretending?"

"Of course," Zelda said, a little offended that Sheik would even suggest that Zelda actually had feelings for Groose. She was just using him, naturally. Deep down, she was more than a little bit pleased that the entire group had fallen for her act. She must have put on quite the show.

_Record __**that**__, you stupid robo-fairy._

"Zelda…" Groose slobbered—gross, there were snot stains all over his pants—as he practically crawled over to her. "How could you be so cruel? I've told you so many times that I love you. Why can't you reciprocate my honest and true feelings?"

Zelda huffed, her long brown hair swishing against her shoulders as she raised her head and closed her eyes, refusing to look at Groose. Sure, a little part—and it was a _tiny_ part—of her felt bad for him, because she did just use his feelings like that, but still…this was _Groose_. He had the ego the size of Hyrule and he was the biggest coward she'd ever seen. No, her ideal man was someone who wasn't narcissistic at all. A man with a great intellect, a kind heart, and genuine emotions. She wanted to truly believe his words when he whispered those three special words in her ear. Yes, her ideal man was truly perfect, with honey blond hair and blue eyes and…

Zelda instinctively blushed, biting her lip gently as she returned from her fantasies and landed back on Hyrule. She peeked open one of her emerald eyes to look at the sniveling coward in front of her, blubbering on and on worse than a baby. She was still miffed that he hid in a corner while Link and the others risked their lives.

"By the way, where were you when we were _fighting for our lives_, ya big tub of lard?" Midna suddenly growled from the corner, as if she was reading Zelda's mind. Now that the excitement of Zelda's elaborate ruse was over, she noticed that many of the other group members were staring at Groose with not-too-pleasant expressions on their faces.

Groose let out a cry, physically taken aback by her words. He clutched his chest as if her words wounded his ego—please, if anything could damage that—or something. As Groose frantically glanced around the room, he began sobbing again—would he ever stop?—as he realized everyone was glaring at him. Even Link of all people didn't look particularly thrilled. Huh. Zelda kinda liked Angry Link. It was…exhilaratingly out of character.

"Those women were scary," he said, his honker buried into some old blanket covered in moth holes. Good. Maybe he'd finally blow his nose. Didn't his mother teach him proper manners when he was young? He probably thought his boogers were just as entitled as he was. "I'm not a fighter. I'm royalty."

Pah! Royalty? _Groose_? Now Zelda just _had _to laugh at that.

"Haven't we already gone over this?" Sheik said with a low sigh, as if Groose was sapping all the energy out of him. "Doofus. You are a _protector_. It's your job to protect the monarch, and acting as his double doesn't count. Besides," he said with a scoff, "…you're hardly convincing."

"Of course I'm royalty," Groose said, standing up proudly with a still un-wiped nose. He once again assumed his pompous pose, his too-tight shirt revealing flab that no one wanted to see. "My name is Groose DeArcy. My family owns 10% of…"

"…Hyrule's economy. Yeah, we know, we know, we've done this before," Midna groaned, sounding just as exhausted as Sheik. "In case ya haven't noticed, you're still not royalty. See this?" She held up her palm, revealing the number "6". "You've got one too. You were complaining about your little boo-boo earlier. The number means you're a protector. Not. Royalty."

"Well," Groose spat, as if Midna was a mere commoner and she had no right to speak to someone as worthy as he, "…if I'm not royalty, who is?"

Midna and Sheik pointed to Link. Zelda contained a squee of glee at Groose's shocked expression, his mouth agape and his jaw practically on the floor. Groose looked so dumbfounded. Where was that robot? Zelda wanted to take a picture of this fantastic sight so she could replay the moment over and over again whenever she felt down.

"Kokolo?" Groose asked finally after he was able to move his jaw again. "Link _Kokolo _is royalty!? You honestly mean it's my job to serve and protect this scrawny little brat!?"

Kokolo? Come to think of it, that was Link's last name, wasn't it? Huh. Zelda should start paying more attention when teachers call attendance from now on. But…what did that mean? Groose knew Link? Well sure, that made sense, they all attended the same school, but Groose was hardly ideal company for Link. Then again, Zelda was no expert in lowlife lingo—this she admitted without shame—but she was pretty certain guys didn't call each other "scrawny little brats" to bond. She felt her eyes narrowing as anger built up inside of her as she realized what was going on. How dare Groose insult Link? How _dare _he…!

Groose ambled over towards Link, mouth still agape, although his sobs quickly turned into maniacal laughter. He pointed right at Link's face, bending over as he laughed so hard his sides hurt. Link's eyes narrowed but he continued to stay silent. With every laugh, Zelda felt the rage inside her bubbling, bubbling, _bubbling_…

"Kokolo…is…royalty…" Groose managed to snark between hysterical fits of booming laughter. "_Kokolo_…honestly expects that he is above me! _Kokolo_!"

"Why, you little…" Sheik started, his fuse obviously shorter than Zelda's as he leapt towards Groose, two small daggers in his palms. Was he seriously about to attack Groose? Zelda didn't care. She made no motion to stop him.

"Down, boy," Impa, tired of all the childish nonsense, finally interrupted, smacking Sheik on the back of his head. Sheik fell to the ground, sprawled all over the shedding carpet, brown fuzzies all over his clothes. With a sigh, Impa took out her patented massive fan and this time, instead of hitting her student, she smacked Groose upside the head.

Well that shut him up real quick. Zelda made sure to remember that nifty trick for later.

"You are a protector, boy! Don't you understand the severity of the situation? You sobbed in a corner while your teammates fought for their lives. Don't you understand that this is not some silly joke? Don't you understand that this is life or death? Don't you understand that you must _grow_ into the man I believe you can be?" Impa shouted angrily, smacking him with every point. After her outburst, Groose simply stared at the small elderly lady, shocked that she would dare lecture him, but at the same time, it almost seemed—_almost_—that he was taking her words into consideration. Well, that was a start.

Groose opened his big mouth to either insult her—or at the very least, refute her—when there was a thunderous crash that shook every member of the Sixth Kingdom to the very core. The few bits of the hotel that were still remaining shook at the very slightest wind as if it was one block trying to support three hundred.

"There is an enemy Kingdom approaching," Navi said—where the hell did she go, anyways?—as if again it wasn't totally obvious or anything. "I'd be careful of this team," she added somberly—if a robot could sound somber, that is—and in a low voice.

"Power…" Link spoke quietly, his blue eyes shining in an almost beautiful golden rainbow light. Now, Zelda was trying to figure out when his eyes did their little color-changing trick, and she had a few ideas. So far, from what she observed, his eyes became golden when he seemingly used his Doll power. It was just a working theory, but she was pretty certain regardless of her theory's accuracy, they were in danger. She didn't have to be a Doll to sense that something wicked was coming their way.

"Such intensity," Impa breathed, as Groose began to sob and hide behind a broken lamp post. Sheik finally got up from his position on the floor, daggers raised, but even he seemed a little…tense. Midna cast a worried glance at Impa.

"We all feel it," Midna's voice was almost buried under a _boom_ as the sky parted and a golden light, as golden as Link's eyes, lit up the sky. Zelda drew her bow apprehensively, wincing at the drops of rain that pitter-pattered on the roof and snuck into the room through the cracks, tickling her body from head to toe. The feeling…this _feeling_…it was different then the emotions she felt during the Eighth Kingdom's approach. If she thought she was scared then…then she clearly didn't know the meaning of the word, "fear".

"We cannot fight them," Impa hissed, motioning at the others to move their asses, and to move them quickly. "They are too strong. We would be overwhelmed within minutes."

"We can't run," Sheik retorted with a wave of his own hand. "There's nowhere to go. They have us surrounded."

Zelda didn't need to be an expert on battle techniques or be trained in the way of the Sheikah to know that Sheik was right. She could _feel _them. She could sense the ones that were causing her to be shaken from the very core. She could feel the fear running through her veins, causing her limbs to shake and her resolve to falter. Would all battles be like this? How long would she have to endure this torture? Forget thinking about other battles! She wasn't even sure if she'd survive this one. No, if she survived this ordeal, she would consider herself to be the luckiest person alive. She knew that she should feel more confidence and not have such a negative attitude—the self-fulfilling prophecy came to mind—but she couldn't help it. The fear was so strong inside of her that it really did eat at her inner soul. She tried to stop it, but a tear slid down her cheek. She gulped, trying not to actually cry. She wasn't like Groose. She wasn't a coward, was she? Then why was she so scared? Why did she feel so utterly helpless? Was this…was this the enemy Doll's attribute?

"Zelda?" Link's serene voice brought her back to reality for a moment, although even his soothing presence was fading, his image morphing into a grotesque gargoyle that tricked her. She screamed, trying to pull away, to run, run, _run _away, away from this awful place and this awful game, away from the heartbreak and terror, _away _from this fear…this damned fear…

"I'm scared," she whimpered, too scared to be ashamed of her own weakness. "I'm so scared…"

Link glanced from side to side, she could see thoughts swirling around his beautiful blue eyes but even he, even with his Doll powers, even he would be lost to the Darkness, just like all of them…she would lose him, she would lose him, and she would be forever alone again, forced to deal with her failure, to never see his smile again, to live with the guilt of letting him die, to live with the fact that she was too scared, too scared, too terrified to even save him…

"Please, power that sleeps inside me, hear my call…"

Link was saying something, but it was too late, too late to do anything, too late to stop the enemy kingdom, too late to stop the fear that had overcome her heart. It was hopeless, oh-so-hopeless, and she would be doomed to toil the darkness for the rest of eternity…

"…guide my beloved companions to a place of sanctity!"

With the sound of Link's strong voice, the light that was fading among the darkness, the room spun, spun, spun, images becoming distorted as the fear within Zelda built, built, built until falling, falling, falling apart like the room before her. Reality warped, once concrete items turning into mere figments of the imagination. The world turned upside down and over, over, over again until the room that was scrambled in front of her regained its self, the room once again regaining its sense of self in the world and the furniture reformed as if being built anew.

The shock of everything that just occurred forced Zelda to her knees as she gasped for air, trying to grasp an understanding of what the hell just happened. Whatever Link did—at least, she assumed Link was responsible—seemed to have driven the fear from Zelda's heart, her inner soul whole once more. She turned to thank him for saving them when he let out a pained cry. She reached for him, trying to catch him but he fell and she grasped only air.

"Link!" She cried, her voice finally returned to her. Impa scurried over to the pair, laying a wrinkled but gentle hand on his forehead. He writhed in pain; eyes changing from blue to golden so fast the light show was enough to give anyone a headache. Why was he in pain again? Zelda couldn't bear to see him like this especially after he saved them…he saved her _again_. Wasn't she the one who was supposed to be protecting him?

"What. The. Hell. Just. Happened?" Midna asked slowly, making her way over to Sheik and asking if his holiness and his "boo-boo" were okay. Sheik waved her off, observing his surroundings with a look of amazement on his face. Zelda followed suit. Where…where were they? They certainly weren't in the old barely-standing porno hotel anymore. They seemed to be in a basement of sort, the walls gray and concrete. There was a couch made out of metal in the middle of the room with an old TV from the Stone Age. The chill that filled the room indicated to Zelda that they were in some sort of underground base.

"The Sixth activated his ability," Navi spoke up. Really, she had the most goddess-awful timing. "Every Doll has a special ability to go along with their natural set of powers. The Sixth's, as you should have guessed, is teleportation."

"Teleportation," Midna mumbled, face aghast. "The dude just _teleported_ us."

"Naturally, it is a very exhausting skill," Navi said as if Link's condition wasn't a big deal or anything. "He will need a significant amount of time to rest and recover his strength."

"He's in pretty bad shape," Impa said, glancing around the room. She noticed a sink the back corner—and please tell Zelda that there wasn't a hole in the ground intended to be a toilet next to it—and gave a wave of her hand. "Zelda, please go fetch me some water." Zelda nodded, nearly tripping over her feet as she shot up, eager to get something that would ease Link's pain.

"Yeah, about that…Link?" Sheik called from where he was standing, still winded from the affair. "Y'know I appreciate you saving our hides n'stuff, but…"

There was a pause as he struggled to regulate his breathing.

"…never do that again."

* * *

**So Link has another power! Cool! And we have a mysterious unnamed Kingdom coming after our team…this should be fun. ;) **

**I'm **_**really **_**enjoying sassy Zelda. Her little "act" was a lot of fun to write. **

**As always, please leave a review! Reviews brighten my day and I love to hear all of your thoughts. **_**Constructive**_** criticism is welcomed and greatly appreciated. I've already been keeping in mind some of your points. :) **

**I hope you are enjoying the story and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


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